Convergent - A Divergent Fanfiction
by thefaultinourstarbucks
Summary: Tessa Eaton was tired. Tired of trying to please her Dauntless faction, tired of attempting to hide her true self, and tired of trying to convince herself that she doesn't like Caden. But when Caden Stryker transfers to Candor, she can't let him go alone. As she follows him to an faction with unseen dangers, she realizes she can't leave Caden behind. But she can't leave her family
1. Lies

Lies

A Divergent Fanfiction

When I was younger, I lied a lot. I deceited my parents, fibbed to my friends, and I blatantly lied through my teeth on many occasions. I don't know why. Maybe it's just because I grew up in Dauntless. I can't explain it. When anybody asked me a question, I'd lie about it. I got caught most of the time, but sometimes I got away with it. That was worse, though. When no one found out, I had the guilt eating me for the rest of my life.  
"Are you ready, Tess?" My mother asks. I nod and plaster a smile on my face. "Of course!" I chirp.  
Another lie.  
Today is my aptitude test. I'm petrified. On one hand, I think I should stay in Dauntless. My parents and my siblings, Erica and Andrew, are here. I could beat out the transfers, and stay in Dauntless. Maybe as an instructor like my dad, or protecting the fence. Yeah, I'd like that. But on the other hand, I don't want to lie anymore. I can't keep convincing myself that I was born to be a Dauntless. Maybe there's something better for me. I don't know. I don't know a lot of things. I guess I'm not a Erudite. Not that I'd want to be. My parents explained to me that there was this huge war against Erudite, who was taking control over the city and trying to kill people like my parents, who are Divergents. Luckily Divergents aren't killed or hunted anymore, just often used as slaves.  
"Hi, Tessy!" My little sister Erica smiles a toothless grin at me. She's ten. She doesn't have the aptitude test for another six years. She's named after one of my dad's friends, Eric. Well, sort of friend, I guess. I don't know much. I have a brother too, Andrew. He's named after my grandfather. My mom wanted to name him after my Uncle Caleb, but my dad insisted we name him Andrew. He's thirteen. I feel sorry for him and Erica. Hopefully they're not Divergent. I want them to be able to have easy decisions.  
"Hi, Erica." I try to smile at her too. She's so innocent.  
"Are you excited?" She tries to bite into an apple.  
"Yup." I dishevel her long blonde hair. I have blonde hair like my mom, Tris, too. But dark blue eyes like my dad.  
"Time to get ready, Tessa." My mom takes me into her room, where they have a large mirror on the wall. I sit in front of it while my mom combs out my tangled locks, and leaves my hair loose around my shoulders. I dress as nicely as I can, with a short black dress, a black leather jacket, and black combat boots. Once I'm ready, I join Andrew and Erica for breakfast. Andrew looks wide awake. He has training soon, he's preparing to guard the fence when he turns eighteen. That is, if he stays.  
"You're gonna miss the train!" Erica declares once I finish slurping my cereal.  
"Fine. Bye, guys. See you soon."  
Erica hugs me tightly, and Andrew barely even waves. I guess he's enthusiastic for me.  
My mom comes over to me and holds me in her arms. "I wish your father was here to see how beautiful you are."  
Of course. My dad is preparing for Initiation. Figures.  
"I'll be back later today, don't worry." Why did I tell her that when I'm panicking myself?  
Before I step through the front door, I take one last look around my house. My house, right outside the Dauntless Initiation space. Near my father's work. He works a lot. I guess ruling a faction takes a lot of work. I head out the door and sprint to the train station. I have to climb up a piece of bright orange metal to reach it. I'm used to it, though. My feet easily find grips and my hands grasp the metal smoothly. I reach the top in a matter of seconds. The train is no where in sight. Did I miss it? I couldn't have. I need to go to my aptitude test. I have no idea where to transfer, or if I'm even going to. Am I worth Dauntless status? Do I want to be free? I mean, I can't REALLY be free. Even though the systems have changed since my parents were young, for instance, we use a democracy with all the factions, but I'm still always going to be stuck within a faction. The rattling of the oncoming train snaps me out of my thinking, and I effortlessly jump onto the train when it arrives. No one I know is on the train, so I just stand there awkwardly. The train shudders the a halt. Rolling onto the grass, I bound off the train and run into where the aptitude test takes place. As I wait nervously in the waiting room, I'm panicking. I am sixteen, and my Choosing Day is tomorrow. I'm torn.  
"Tessa Eaton?" A lady with a tightly pinned brown bun opens a door for me. I slowly enter.  
A room full of mirrors welcomes me. There is one chair that reminds me of the one in the dentist's office, and some equipment I don't really understand.  
"Hi, Tessa. I'm Hailie. I'm your test administrator. Please take a seat, and we can begin your aptitude test."  
I walk past the mirrors, only glancing at my reflection rapidly, and I plop down in the chair. I lean back as Hailie hands me a vial full of blue liquid.  
"What's this?" I ask.  
"Please take it. It's only the simulation."  
I down the liquid. It tastes funny, kind of like cinnamon. The last thing I see is my reflection in the mirrors.  
I find myself in a black room. The only thing in the room is a wardrobe full of bright, colorful clothes.  
"Choose," a female voice echoes.  
"Choose what?" I stutter.  
"Choose," the voice repeats. I have to choose a color.  
I don't want to choose. I want to be everything, I want to be free. Quickly I grab an Amity red blouse, a black Dauntless jacket, a blue Erudite sweater, a Candor white skirt, and a pair of gray Abnegation socks. As soon as I make my choices, the wardrobe dissolves. I'm left holding a pile of clothes. As soon as the wardrobe disappears, the room shifts, and I hear a growl. A dog, I'm presuming. I was wrong.  
A bull.  
It stares directly at me, gearing up in the corner. I remember something then that I learned in class one day.  
Bulls are attracted to the color red.  
I throw the bundle of clothes, including the Amity blouse, as far away from myself as I can. The clothes sink into the floor, all but the blouse. It transforms into a bright red teddy bear.  
"Oh, look!" I hear a young girl's voice call. A little girl runs into the simulation, and picks up the bear, cuddling it. The bull charges towards the girl. The scary thing is, I recognize the girl. It's Erica.  
The worst thing is, I don't know what to do.  
"No, Erica. No, no, no." I whisper, frozen with fear. I can't move.  
As the bull approaches my sister, the bull and Erica are swallowed by the floor, leaving the bear. Then the scene changes. I'm on the street, and the teddy bear has changed into a puddle of blood surrounding a dead man. I swallow harshly.  
"Does anyone know who did this?" A woman dressed in Abnegation gray screams, leaning over the man. I notice a glisten of gold on her left ring finger. I see a man clothed in black slipping away from the scene, holding a horribly long, bloody knife.  
"You there. Do you know who did this? Please, help me! My husband!" The woman is talking to me.  
I don't say a word. I don't shake my head.  
"Please help me. Please. SAY SOMETHING!" The lady's voice echoes over and over. The earth shifts, and I awake with a jolt on the dentist chair. Hailie looks shocked. No, not shocked. Scared. Terrified, even.  
"What's wrong?" I ask. Oh no. "Am I Divergent?"  
She shakes her head. "I've never seen this before. Never even heard of it."  
"What? What is wrong with me?" I demand, alarmed. "What was my result?"  
"Nothing." Hailie whispers, barely audible.  
"What?"  
"Nothing. You didn't get a single result. You're not Abnegation, or Candor, or Amity, or Erudite, or Dauntless. You didn't get anything."  
"So what do I choose tomorrow? Where do I belong?" I need to belong somewhere.  
"I don't know."  
"How could I not get any faction? Is this possible?" My voice sounds hollow.  
"I don't understand. You need to leave, now."  
"Why?"  
"You could possibly be even more dangerous than any Divergent. Go, now. If you get caught..." she gulps.  
"Why is this so bad?"  
She looks me directly in the eye.  
"Because you can't be loyal to anyone."


	2. Change of Heart

I met Caden Stryker when I was in the second grade. All I remember is him bringing a knife to school and showing the teacher how well he could throw it. He used to be my next-door neighbor, and we used to hang out all the time. I doubt he remembers it, though. I don't believe he could remember the little blonde girl he used to play with. I mean, I remember him. Maybe because I had an enormous crush on him. But no matter what happens, I can't seem to forget the little redhead boy who was throwing knives in class.  
I was tossing and turning all night. What am I? I can't be loyal to anyone? When I was trying to sleep, Caden flooded my mind. Not because I liked him, but because I remember his older sister Aubrey transferring maybe two years ago, to Abnegation. I wonder if Caden will transfer. Probably. It's not like I care, it's just that Caden is...was...one of my only friends.  
I wake up at three o'clock in the morning, and I dress quietly in black jeans, a black tank top, and a black jacket. I slip on my combat boots. I go silently into the kitchen and grab a handful of sharp knives. I head outside, making sure the door doesn't slam, and I begin my target practice.  
I throw one knife and manage to hit the bull's eye. I quickly fling the second and lob it in the dummy's brain. Maybe I deserve to be Dauntless. Once I finish launching the knives, I sit and cry.  
I can't do this. I can't make such a big decision without any help, without even the help of the aptitude test. I just can't do it.

I sit with the rest of the Dauntless, and next to my family. Erica snuggles close to me.  
"Please don't leave me, Tessy," she whispers.  
I don't respond. Here, at Choosing Day, is pure torture for me. I look around the room. All the factions have gathered together, and today I'm expected to choose.  
"You can't be loyal to anyone." Hailie's words haunt me. I glance around the Dauntless sector and find Caden's bright red head. He's sitting three rows down from us.  
"Tess, listen. No matter where you decide to go, we will always love you." My dad hugs me.  
"Completely. It's always going to be blood before faction for us." My mom tells me. Andrew sticks his finger down his throat, mimicking vomiting, and I stick my tongue out at him and shove him. He laughs.  
"Welcome," Tori declares. She's the city representative. "Welcome to the Choosing Ceremony. Here, I will call out the names of the choosing, and they shall decide where their loyalty lay. Where they shall stay to keep out town in peace. Though we have joined together since the last war, we are still separate where we belong. Now, we shall begin with Julian Asher."  
A boy dressed in a white dress shirt and black pants from Candor steps down to the center of the room. He picks up the knife laying on the tabletop and cuts a slit in his hand. Many others will do the same. I've always thought it was unsanitary. He sticks his palm out over the bowl with soil and lets his blood drip. The audience claps. As simple as that, this Candor boy is now Amity.  
"Sophie Agreste." A blonde girl with bright red clothing skips down to the bowls. She cuts her hand and her blood drops into the Abnegation bowl. More clapping.  
Lots of people go, with last names that start with B, C, and D. And then E.  
"Tessa Eaton."  
I try to walk as slowly as I possibly can. When I eventually reach the middle, I pick up the smeared knife, and carefully make an incision. As the blood pools in my palm, I look over the bowls. Where do I belong? I flip my hand over and let the blood drip down my hand. I move my palm over the Erudite bowl. Then, in the moments before my blood drops, I put my hand back over the Dauntless coals. The Dauntless cheer, and I smile halfheartedly. Erica jumps from her seat and shrieks with delight. Andrew rolls his eyes sarcastically, and my dad smiles, but my mom looks almost disappointed in me, like she knew what I wanted and I didn't go for it. I sit silently until the letter S.  
"Caden Stryker."  
I watch his fiery red hair as he bounds down to the bowls. He cuts his hand easily without flinching and sets his hand slowly and somewhat hesitantly over the Candor bowl. I draw in my breath, and watch as he does what I did. He places his palm back over Dauntless. And I swear, as he sits back down, he looks me directly in the eyes.

I approach Caden after the Choosing.  
"Hey." I say softly.  
"Hi, Tess." He responds.  
"You remember me?"  
"Of course I do."  
"Why did you stay?"  
"Why did you?"  
He's got me there. "Because I wanted to."  
He smirks. "No, you didn't. You wanted to go to Erudite, I saw."  
"So what? You were going to Candor."  
"I stayed for the same reason you did."  
"Why? I doubt it."  
"Because I couldn't pick." He smiles slyly at me. "Or maybe because I didn't want to leave anyone behind."  
He winked playfully at me.  
"Do you want to..stay here?" I ask, ignoring him.  
"No, but it's not like I have a choice." He runs a hand through his red hair. I stare at him.  
"You did have a choice! Why did you choose Dauntless if you don't want to stay here?"  
"One, because at least in Dauntless I know what to expect. Two, I don't want to go to any other faction, either. And three, you're in Dauntless. If I left Dauntless, I would have to leave you."  
My mouth is dry. "But we haven't hung out in years!"  
"And yet I've never forgotten you."


	3. Black, White, and Red

Convergent

Chapter Three

He'd miss me? He missed me! Caden missed me. I don't care, though. I keep telling myself that.  
Another lie.  
I return softly to my family.  
"Oh, Tessy, I'm so happy you stayed with me!" Erica cried out. She grabs my hand and swings it cheerfully. Maybe Erica will choose Amity. Her hand is so small, I wish I was that young. Andrew just sticks his tongue out at me.  
"I wish you left," he says sassily. I throw a rock at him.  
I hate to admit it, but I wish I left too.  
"Sorry, I've got to go, or the other initiates will leave without me." I pry my hand from Erica's and wave.  
I sprint outside. Unfortunately, it all seems so easy. Jumping the train? Been doing it since I was six. Leaping onto the roof? I've already done it at least ten times. And I always go first when I jump into the net. When I go to volunteer, a girl beats me to it.  
"Me," she declares. "Let me go first."  
I felt like protesting. No, I wanted to go first! I wanted to pout like I was four. The girl steps forward. She's dressed in a dark blue cardigan, a pleated blue skirt, a white undershirt, and a pair of silver glasses. Her short strawberry blonde hair is pinned back with matching silver clips in the shape of butterflies. She practically screams "I'M NOT DAUNTLESS!" Yet here she is, going first.  
"It's simple, really," she speaks as she walks to the ledge. "If there wasn't something protective at the end of the drop, there wouldn't be any Dauntless initiatives, simply because either they would all die or none would jump. Honestly, this is supposed to test our bravery? I'd rethink that calculation, if I were Dauntless."  
The Erudite girl clambers onto the ledge. "Well, I'll meet you at the bottom."  
She jumps without a word.  
"Can I go next?" I ask quickly before anybody else asks first.  
"Sure, Tessa." It's my dad running Dauntless initiates, of course. He promised to treat me just like I was any other, not his daughter.  
I hurry to the ledge and stand up. I've always loved this feeling, the wind blowing back my hair. I close my eyes. Before I jump, I turn around and look at the large group. There is Caden, squinting his eyes at me.  
I close my eyes, throw my arms up and jump.  
The net catches me and I climb out like jumping off buildings was something I do everyday. Which it is.  
"Name?" One of the workers, Hanna, asks me. I know she knows me, but it's standard protocol.  
"Tessa Eaton," I reply. The Erudite is there watching me.  
"Hello, I'm Justine." She approaches me. "I saw you were anxious to jump first, therefore I would like to apologize sincerely for taking your position."  
"It's fine, don't worry about it." I feel like she's speaking a different language than I am.  
A flash of red and Caden is in the net. I look over at him, my gaze lingering a second longer than normal.  
"Oh, I see," Justine grins. "You are fond of him, are you not?"  
"Yeah, he's my good friend, Caden."  
"Hey, Tess, nice jump." Caden casually runs a hand through his fiery locks.  
"Thanks."  
"Is this the Nose who went first?"  
Justine wrinkles her nose. "Excuse me?"  
"Nose, like Erudite, 'cause you know stuff?"  
Justine grins. "Oh, alright." I wonder why she isn't Amity.  
Once all the initiates have jumped, they separate us into Dauntless-born and transfers. Justine waves good-bye, and I stick with Caden. He grins at me, too. "Hey."  
"Hi."  
"I don't think I've hung out with you since we were little."  
"Neither do I."  
"We should hang out now, then. Dauntless cake, maybe?"  
I finally smile. My dad adores Dauntless cake. So do I. "You've found my weakness."  
"Finally something I can use against you."  
We head to the cafeteria, and lucky for us, there's cake on the counter. I cut myself a slice and then Caden cuts himself the equivalent of three of my slices.  
"You're going to eat that whole thing?" I ask him incredulously.  
He nods. "Why not? We only have so long to eat cake." He shovels a bite into his mouth cheerfully. At least we've lived in Dauntless our whole lives and know what's going to happen.  
After we finish our cake (delicious, by the way) he casually stands up.  
"Listen, Tess, I'd love to hang out more, but I've gotta go."  
I fight the urge to ask where, so I can go with him, be with him.  
"Okay, see you later!"  
He slips off into the shadows, and he reminds me for an instant of the man in my simulation. I need to follow him.  
He goes directly to the boy's dormitory. I know I shouldn't be in here, but I sneak in anyway. He quickly changes from black running shoes to big black boots, and his black shirt comes off to be replaced by a white one. And I can't help it-I peeked.  
Why is he wearing white? I'm about to ask when he notices me. Dauntless training has taught him how to spot.  
"God, Tess!" He exclaims. "What are you doing here?"  
"Where are you going?" I ask immediately.  
"Don't tell anyone."  
I nod.  
"I'm going to Candor."  
"Why?" I don't want him to go.  
"Because I can't stay here anymore! I just can't, okay? So don't make me stay, you won't be able to."  
I opened my mouth to speak and put my hand on his forearm. In the instant I did so, he punched me in the nose.  
"CADEN!" I yell. I touch my nose gingerly and it stings, leaving red on my hand.  
"God, grow up! I wasn't going to make you stay, I was going to go with you."  
"Why would you do that?"  
"Because I don't want you to leave, okay?"  
"I'm sorry I hit you."  
"You're just lucky my dad isn't here."  
Caden nods, laughing.  
"Can you pass me a white shirt or something?"  
Caden reaches under his bed and pulls out a white blazer. I put it on overtop of my black tank top, and use my black coat to wipe the blood of my face.  
"What about Erica, and your family? And Justine?"  
"I'll explain later. We better hurry."  
Finally, I'm escaping the one place I called home.


End file.
